Revolutionary New Nail Polish Could Prevent Date Rape

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Primping before a blind date may be the norm, but thanks to this latest beauty invention, a fresh manicure could potentially save your life. Four college students—Tyler Confrey-Maloney, Stephen Gray, Ankesh Madan, and Tasso Von Windheim&mdashat N.C. State University have created a nail polish that changes color when exposed to date rape drugs.

If there seems to be a boom in assault-preventing technology of late, it's perhaps only because reports of sexual assault are at an all-time high. A study published inThe Washington Post notes that instances of campus sex offenses have risen by as much as 50 percent in just the past three years. What's worse: In spite of this, college administrations tend to have a history of doing little to nothing to support victims.

Though we're not quite sure yet how the nail polish will work—will we have to stick our fingers in a drink to detect if the drugs are present? If we do consume a drug-laced drink, will the polish change color, and how soon after would it change?—we're sure these questions and more are being addressed, since the product is still in the prototype stage while it awaits additional funding. And we'll applaud any development that protects women from such unspeakable violence—especially when rape statistics continue to rise rapidly.